Taking TD-LTE mainstream

Given the widespread commercialisation of LTE networks, technology providers are now looking to draw attention to the significance of TD-LTE in the development of optimal networks and services. Bernard Najm, Nokia Networks Head of the Global Business Programme for TD-LTE, describes the importance of the technology, and why network operators should be incorporating TD-LTE into their current network investment plans

Bernard Najm is Nokia Networks’ Head of the Global Business Programme for TD-LTE

“TD-LTE is really a case of when it will become a mainstream development and how big that will be,” asserts Bernard Najm. “TD-LTE fits into the capacity aspect of network deployment, and while FDD spectrum handles coverage aspects of the network, TDD specifically addresses capacity elements.”

This is the message that Nokia and other telecom technology providers are looking to put across to network operators around the world, many of which are in the throes of deploying commercial LTE networks. The ‘mobile data tsunami’ is real and growing, with operators in Korea, Japan, the Middle East and other parts of the world reporting how non-voice traffic is constituting an ever-growing proportion of their network capacity, and in turn impacting service revenues positively.

“TDD is a global standard with operators in places like the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, Australia, Spain and Brazil already having been allocated the necessary spectrum in the 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands and deploying networks,” Najm says. “It is estimated that there will be 100 million TD-LTE capable terminals in China alone by 2014,” he adds.

Nokia forecasts that by 2020, mobile networks must be able to deliver 1GB of personalised data per user per day profitably. This 1GB per day equates to a 60-fold increase, or roughly a doubling of traffic per user every 18 months, compared to the average 500MB per user per month some mobile networks in mature markets are witnessing today.

“The ecosystem for mobile data and increases in capacity is already ripe,” says Najm. “TD-LTE addresses high-capacity network requirements, and we see forward-looking network operators already positioned themselves accordingly, with the acquisition of other smaller operators that have TD-LTE spectrum.”

Given that FDD cannot be run asymmetrically like TDD, Najm forecasts there is a very real risk of a capacity bottleneck occurring within commercial LTE networks in the next two-three years unless TDD considerations are also factored into deployment schedules.

“HSPA plus FDD plus Wi-Fi for offloading is the current solution for the looming capacity crunch. WiMAX as a technology is dying out, so the prudent solution is investment in a Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station network that incorporates TDD,” Najm advises. “It is a relatively simple upgrade to TDD and no major additional network investments are required, so it just makes sense.”

NSN is expanding its competence in TD-LTE deployments all the while, having last year been selected as one of the technology providers to roll out Sprint’s TD-LTE network in the US. NSN’s references in the Middle East date back to as early as 2011, where together with STC the technology provider was charged with deploying a TD-LTE in Western Saudi Arabia.

“If there’s one key message I would like to get across it is that TDD really is the capacity layer of FDD. It’s not a question of one or the other; it’s a question of viewing them holistically. The sooner operators start to build LTE networks with this outlook, I believe the sooner we can start addressing the capacity issues that are already looming and set to become more chronic,” Najm concludes.